Supreme Court Orders Stay on Ramanaidu Studio Land Sale

Visakhapatnam: The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Andhra Pradesh government regarding the land issue of Ramanaidu Studio, ordering a stay on the selling of those lands as layouts in Visakhapatnam. The Supreme Court also issued notices to the Andhra Pradesh government and the defendants, instructing them to respond by March 11. On September 13, 2003, the then government issued orders stating that those lands should not be used for any purposes other than the needs specified. 

Delving into the controversy, the then government allocated 35 acres of land in Visakhapatnam to Ramanaidu Studio in 2003 for cinematic purposes. However, the YSRCP government later permitted the change of these lands into layouts for other activities contrary to coastal regulations. MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu challenged this decision in the High Court. After the petition was dismissed by the High Court, he approached the Supreme Court.

The bench comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Abhay S. Oka heard the case. They questioned the petitioner's counsel regarding why the land was allocated to Ramanaidu Studio and whether other activities are now being conducted there. The lawyer informed the court that the land, while allocated for the construction of a film studio, was prepared for sale as layouts without constructing the studio. Consequently, the court issued a stay and sent notices to the government and the defendants.

Legally, creating layouts and building houses in the allocated studio land is against the law. Notably, the district collector also issued a No Objection Certificate for this. The layouts had been devised in the name of Daggubati Suresh Babu. However, the opposition alleges threats from high-ranking officials of the YSRCP government and claims that the YSRCP leaders are the ones running the behind-the-scenes operations.